U.S. ETFs Post Five-Year Returns of Over 100% at the Top End—and Pay Distributions Too

[Financial News] Samsung Asset Management’s two exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking major U.S. indices have posted five-year returns reaching over 100% at the high end, while drawing funds from individual investors through steady distribution payments.
According to Samsung Asset Management on the 4th, the KODEX US S&P 500 ETF posted a five-year return of 94.9%, while the Samsung KODEX US Nasdaq 100 ETF returned 103.3%. Both products recorded the strongest performance among ETFs tracking the same indices.
Along with their long-term performance, the ETFs have continued to pay distributions. The previous day, Samsung Asset Management paid a distribution of 117 won per share to investors holding the KODEX US S&P 500 ETF, a distribution rate of 0.50%. On the same day, the KODEX US Nasdaq 100 ETF also paid 71 won per share, equivalent to a distribution rate of 0.27%. The distribution record date for both products was the 30th of last month.
Over the past year, cumulative distributions totaled 486 won per share for the KODEX US S&P 500 and 290 won for the KODEX US Nasdaq 100. Their cumulative distribution rates over the same period were 2.14% and 1.17%, respectively.
This distribution includes not only the amount accrued in the quarter but also distributions retained from previous periods. These retained distributions were accumulated within the ETFs from their listing through December 2024 and will be paid quarterly through the distribution record date in January 2029. Samsung Asset Management has been paying them since the distribution record date in July last year.
Previously, following an amendment last year to the Enforcement Decree of the Income Tax Act, Samsung Asset Management changed the management approach for the two ETFs from automatic reinvestment of distributions (TR) to distribution payments (PR). As a result, it has been paying distributions to investors since the distribution record date in April last year.
Retail investor funds have continued to flow in, bolstered by the ETFs’ long-term returns and distribution payments. Since the start of the year, net inflows of retail investor funds totaled 2.9075 trillion won into the KODEX US S&P 500 and 3.4886 trillion won into the KODEX US Nasdaq 100.
“Individual investors’ confidence in the distributions and long-term performance is leading to steady fund inflows,” said Lim Tae-hyuk, head of Samsung Asset Management’s ETF Management Division. “We will continue to operate the KODEX ETFs tracking major U.S. indices reliably so that we can repay investors for their trust.”

[email protected] Seo Min-ji Reporter